Struffoli Dreams (McRoll in the REAL World Story by Mari, Sammy, Ilna)
by ilna
Summary: The gang joins in traditions old and new at Nonna's. Part 10 of the 6th Annual McRoll in the REAL World Holiday Marathon.


_Welcome to part 10 of the 6th Annual McRoll in the REAL World Holiday Marathon. There will be a new story every day between now and January 3rd. (Though we retain the right to keep going until January 5th if we're having too much fun.)_

_Hope you enjoy it!_

* * *

_Struffoli Dreams (A McRoll in the REAL World Story by Mari, Sammy, and Ilna)_

Danny smiled at his daughter and grandmother, who were simultaneously rolling up their sleeves to begin baking in the kitchen that held countless memories for him. Nonna was the living history of their famiglia and with each recipe brought from Italy to America, there was always a story. He loved how close Grace remained to her even though they lived halfway around the world.

"The struffoli was your father's favorite, right, Nonna?" Grace reiterated the tale she'd heard since early childhood.

"That's right, mio bambina," Nonna beamed and cupped her chin. Turning to Aaron, Kaitlyn, Elizabeth and Joan, she confirmed, "My father could eat a whole bowl himself."

"I've been known to hide a bowl of struffoli when company stopped over, because it's like gold," Danny interjected and the others laughed as he backed out of the kitchen with drinks for the family who were watching the game while the rest cooked with Nonna.

"It makes me happy to share my recipes, especially when we make them together for your first time," she told the others who'd taken seats around the table. "With every recipe I pass down, the old world continues to live on in the new and our family grows." She looked at the eager-to-learn family members. "Now, Aaron, you're going to be in charge of the hot oil, so everyone is going to watch carefully as he fries the dough when we're ready."

As the cooks rolled the sweet dough into strips, Nonna surveyed each person's work. "Beautiful, Kaitlyn," she said, and the young teenager beamed. "Aaron, darling, make them a little bit smaller, think the size of a marble, because they swell a little when fried."

"Got it," Aaron said with a nod, and reworked the first few pieces into smaller balls.

"Now you're cooking with gas." Nonna patted his arm and smiled. "Grace, bambina, you said when we made them on the Skype they weren't crunchy enough on the outside, let's try frying a little bit longer today."

Grace nodded. "I think I was so afraid of burning them, I took them out a little too soon. They still tasted great, though. Danno, Gabby and I ate them all." She grinned.

"Here, sweetheart, like this." Elizabeth copied Nonna's movements and helped Joan do the same. "There you go, good job!"

"Mama says me and Daddy should go on a cooking show when I'm bigger. We make lots of yummy stuff together, right, Daddy?"

"Right, pumpkin." Aaron beamed at her as Grace said, "Danno and I kinda learned to cook together. He knew some stuff before, but we called Nonna a lot when we first moved to Hawaii. By the time I lived with him full time, we were what Uncle Steve would call a well oiled machine."

"I like making new recipes up with Daddy." Joan smiled and left a trail of flour across her nose when she scratched it. "Especially cupcakes."

"Making up new recipes is the best," Kaitlyn agreed. "Aunt Elizabeth and I made a burrito once with veggie burger crumbles, right?"

"We did, and everyone thought it was delicious," Elizabeth smiled.

Just then, all heads turned as Catherine entered carrying Angie, who announced, "We he'we!" then eyed the goings on and spotted the jars of non pareils.

"Did she n-a-p?" Elizabeth asked and as Catherine answered, "Not a wink," the toddler said, "Ooh spwinkels! Ouse kweem, Gwamma?"

"Not right now, baby girl, those are for struffoli," Catherine repeated the word slowly. "Struuuffoooli."

"Twuf a la?" Angie's head tilted as she tried the new word. "Wat dat?" She pointed to the dough balls.

"That's gonna be super yummy but we have to cook it first," Grace explained.

"And the oil is very hot, so you have to stay with Mommy, bambina. No little ones near the stove, right, Joan?" Nonna said.

"Right. I'm even too little. Daddy has to do the frying part." Joan's ponytail bobbed as she nodded.

"Good girl." Nonna kissed her cheek. "Safety first in the kitchen."

Kaitlyn nodded as well and added, "That's what Uncle Steve always says. Safety first."

* * *

"No!" Angie yelled, running down the hallway.

"It's naptime, baby girl," Catherine cajoled, following her. "You've missed the last couple days with all the activities and it's starting to show."

While the sleeping arrangements had fortunately worked out so far, Angie's tiredness in the evenings due to the time change and the lack of consistent naps had started to take its toll.

"Come on," Catherine tried again. "Mommy will lay down with you."

Angie shook her head vehemently. "No no no nap!"

"I'll lay down with you, Angie," DJ offered from behind Catherine.

"No nap!" Angie reiterated. "Pway!"

"Come on, Angie," Steve said, cutting off her retreat and scooping her up. "Do you want to sleep on your air mattress downstairs or on Mommy and Daddy's bed in the den?"

"No nap!" she screamed, kicking at his side.

"Den it is," he said, since it was closer.

Both he and Catherine went into the den with her, but Angie absolutely refused to stay on the pull-out couch and eventually wriggled from their grasps and ran back out of the room.

Steve sighed, head dropping back. "Regroup and try again in fifteen?" he asked.

Catherine nodded. "Maybe Nonna's got a trick up her sleeve."

* * *

"It's a real treat to get to watch a Jets game live," Danny said as he placed a tray of cookies on the coffee table then settled into Nonna's recliner to watch the game.

"I've never watched a football game before," DJ said excitedly as he settled on the couch between Joseph and Steve. "Who are we rooting for?"

"J-E-T-S J-E-T-S J-E-T-S JETS JETS JETS!" Danny chanted.

"That's who Uncle Danno is rooting for," Steve clarified. "You can root for whoever you want."

"Who do you root for?" DJ asked.

Steve tousled his hair. "I root for Washington but they're not playing in this game."

DJ looked to his other side. "What about you, Grandpa?"

"Chicago Bears all the way!" Joseph replied.

"Uncle Aaron?"

As DJ began to poll the occupants of the room Steve smiled. He suspected it was as much about DJ's excitement at getting to call everyone by their new to him relationship label as anything else. As they were carrying in extra chairs for the game Joseph had shared the story of how DJ approached he and Elizabeth about calling them Grandma and Grandpa. Steve made a mental note to ask Catherine later if she'd heard the story too and if not to share it with her. As the room began to fill up his phone rang. "It's Uncle John."

"DJ is asking everyone which football team they root for," Steve said without preamble as he answered the call. "I'll put you on speaker."

"_I bleed Black 'n Gold_," John said proudly. "_Pittsburgh Steelers all the way!_"

"I believe my Jets beat your Steelers last week," Danny said triumphantly.

"_We're down to our third-string quarterback and his nickname is Duck,_" John snorted. "_I don't think the Vegas oddsmakers took a big beating on that one."_

Steve took the call off speaker and was just finishing up as the older kids started to filter in.

"Are we ready for some football?" Jadon said as he and Cody entered the room.

"Who do you guys root for?" DJ asked.

"U of H," they replied in unison.

DJ looked at Steve with a confused expression.

"They're not playing either." Steve smiled.

"Does Mommy root for Washington too?" DJ asked.

"No, she roots for the Dallas Cowboys," Steve sighed.

"You don't want to root for them," Danny said definitivey.

"Absolutely not," the rest of the room's occupants agreed.

"Hey!" Aaron protested as the other Cowboy fan in the house.

Jacob rushed into the room and took a seat on the floor by the recliner. "Did the game start yet?"

"They're flipping the coin now," Danny told him. "You didn't miss anything."

DJ hoped Jacob might be able to help him make a decision. "Who are you rooting for?"

"Uncle Danny said Nonna is making a special dessert and he'll give me his later if I root for the Jets," Jacob reported.

"Really, Danny?" Aaron said. "Bribery?"

Danny's look was defiant. "Whatever works."

"I know two things for sure, Jacob," Steve said. "First, Uncle Danny isn't giving up his struffoli. And second, Nonna will feed you as much as you want so you don't have to rely on anyone for seconds."

"Or thirds," Jadon agreed.

"Oh, well in that case, Aunt Catherine told me I should root for Buffalo just to make it interesting," Jacob said. "So I'm rooting for them."

"Me too!" DJ quickly agreed.

"Go ahead. All of you." Danny crossed his arms over his chest. "You'll see. My Jets are gonna win!"

* * *

"Come on, honey, you're so tired," Catherine said as Angie rubbed her eyes with one hand and grabbed a handful of non pareils with the other. "It's really time for your nap."

"No nap," Angie insisted drowsily. She put her hand on the table and rolled the non pareils around. "Cook wif Nonna."

"Woo boy, does this sound familiar," Mary said with a sympathetic chuckle.

"I didn't want to nap, Mama?" Joan asked.

"Once you got to about Angie's age," Mary told her, "no, you did not."

"I think almost all kids go through that," Jenna said, running a hand over Kaitlyn's hair from her position standing behind her.

"Me, too?" Kaitlyn asked, looking back over her shoulder at her mother.

"I said 'almost all,' " Jenna said with a smile. "You were my exception."

Catherine moved to pick Angie up, but the toddler screamed, "No!" and slid from her chair, running behind Nonna.

"Angie," Catherine said, frustration creeping into her voice.

"It's okay, bella," Nonna said. "She'll sleep when she's tired."

Mary snorted knowingly. "Or she won't."

Elizabeth smiled, patting her daughter's hand. "Either way, she'll be okay."

Catherine sighed as she watched Angie's frowning face peering out from behind Nonna's chair. "It's the rest of us I'm worried about if she doesn't start sleeping more."

* * *

As the younger kids stood well back from the stove, Aaron removed the last batch of struffoli from the oil and turned off the burner.

"Now we spread them out on paper towels to absorb some of the grease," Nonna explained as Kaitlyn took notes. Even though she knew she'd have the recipe, she didn't want to miss any nuances.

"Then, we take the honey. Make sure it's Golden Blossom brand, and we put the struffoli in our bowls and gently stir them until they're all coated."

"Like this?" Joan asked as she stirred the sticky concoction with both hands while Elizabeth anchored her bowl so it wouldn't tip over.

"Perfect, bambina! You're a wonderful listener," Nonna complemented and Joan's smile was outshone only by her proud father's.

"Now comes the fun part," Nonna said. "My kids loved adding the non pareils." She passed each cook a bottle of the colorful little balls of sugar and starch. "Sprinkle away, my loves."

Minutes later the group had finished eight batches of the traditional desert, each piled into a pyramid to represent a Christmas tree, or a wreath shape.

"That's a lot of struffoli." Kaitlyn stepped back with a satisfied expression and Aaron high fived her and the others. "Thank you, Nonna," she said as she wrapped her in a heartfelt hug.

Nonna kissed her head and smiled. "I knew the minute I met you, you were an artist in the kitchen. I know you're going to make so many wonderful batches in the future." She looked around. "All of you. And nothing makes me happier."

* * *

"Has anyone seen Angie?" Catherine asked, coming into the living room.

Steve immediately stood. "I thought she was with you."

"She was. Then she followed Jenna out of the kitchen."

"She was playing with Grace and Jess," Casey told her.

Grace nodded. "For a little while, then said she was going to find Jacob."

"We were looking at a book," he said. "She took it with her. I thought she went back in the kitchen." He looked worried.

"The front door is locked," Danny said, also standing. "She's gotta be in the house."

"We'll look downstairs," Grace said, motioning to Jess and Casey.

"I'll look in the den," Cody said, heading that way.

"Could she have gotten into the garage without any of us hearing the door open?" Joseph asked, already moving that direction.

"What's going on?" Elizabeth asked as she appeared from the kitchen followed by Aaron, Nonna, Kaitlyn, and Joan.

"I thought Angie was in here, but she's not," Catherine said, trying not to let worry show.

"She's not in the downstairs bathroom," Jadon reported from the hall.

"Or the den," Cody said, coming back into the living room.

"She's not downstairs," Grace called from the basement.

"The door to the garage is locked," Joseph said.

"Upstairs," Steve said decisively. "Let's go."

As half the group headed upstairs and the others decided to recheck the lower level and basement, Cody stopped, noting Jacob was wringing his hands worriedly.

"Jake?" he asked.

"It's my fault," Jacob said. "I should've followed her."

Cody put a hand on his youngest brother's shoulder. "Hey, no," he said. "It's not your fault. There are twenty people in this house to look out for Angie. It's not just up to you." He gave him a small smile. "Besides, she's probably just playing upstairs." He guided Jacob toward the stairs with a hand still on his shoulder. "Come on. Bet they've already found her."

"I didn't know it was this hard to be a big kid," Jacob said.

Cody smiled. "You'll get the hang of it," he assured him. "After all, now you've got Angie _and_ DJ to look out for." He squeezed Jacob's shoulder. "But don't worry, 'cause I'm still looking out for you."

Jacob exhaled in relief. "Thanks, Cody."

The searchers upstairs had fanned out into the various rooms, calling out for Angie, their concern growing when she didn't answer.

Steve and Catherine entered Nonna's bedroom at the end of the hall.

"Angie?" Steve said, eyes scanning the room.

"Steve," Catherine said, touching his arm and pointing at the closet.

He sagged in relief. The closet door was partially open and Angie was on the floor inside, fast asleep.

"She's here," Catherine called back out into the hall to let the others know.

"What's she got?" Steve asked, walking over to the closet.

Catherine chuckled as she came closer as well. "One of Nonna's slippers."

Angie's cheek rested on the soft toe of the slipper.

"Oh thank goodness," Elizabeth said, as she, Joseph, and Nonna came into the room. The others hovered in the hallway, relieved that the toddler had been found. Cody and Jacob headed downstairs to tell the rest of the group they could stop searching.

"I told you she'd sleep when she got tired," Nonna said, smiling at the sight.

Steve knelt. "I'll move her downstairs," he said, gently maneuvering his arms underneath her.

"Oh, no, nipote, put her on my bed," Nonna said.

Angie smacked her lips a few times as Steve stood with her, but didn't wake. He settled her on Nonna's bed and Nonna pulled an afghan over her.

DJ poked his head in the room and sighed in relief seeing his sister safe. "She's okay?"

Catherine smiled, motioning him over to her. "She's just fine," she said, putting an arm around him. "She fell asleep in Nonna's room so we're going to let her finish her nap in here."

"Whoa," he said. "She was really tired."

"Yes, she was," Steve agreed. "I'll grab the monitor, but I bet she's going to sleep soundly for a while."

"And when she wakes up, we'll have lots of struffoli for her to try," Nonna said with a smile.

DJ grinned. "Bet that's what she's dreaming about right now."

* * *

**Hope you enjoyed!**

**Note:** Find Nonna's struffoli recipe in the _12 Days of Cooking with Nonna_ recipe book. You can download your own copy on our website: _marirealmcroll dot wixsite dot com backslash real-mcroll_

* * *

_Find all our stories (in chronological order!) on our website: marirealmcroll dot wixsite dot com backslash real-mcroll_

_Or in the McRoll in the REAL World community here on fanfiction dot net_

_Find us on Tumblr: mcrollintherealworld dot tumblr dot com _

_You can still join our mailing list by emailing us realmcroll at yahoo dot com with Add me, please! in the subject line._

_And find Mari on Twitter at Mari21763 and add #REALMcRoller _


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